Arin In Wonderland
by Starcrossedlover12
Summary: Arin's life is pretty normal until, on her birthday no less, she gets transported into Wonderland. But not only is this one bloody and twisted, it's also filled with people that might be killers, but they're also her friends. A strange dream come true.
1. Wake Dreaming

Sorry if it's a bit random, I just wanted to write a kind of dark parody of this story.

If you don't like it or like it, review and tell me why, I'm really hoping for some good constructive criticism- believe me, I've heard it all before. Heh.

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter I- Wake Dreaming

Arin was fifteen, or, she would be at midnight.

Midnight was a weird time to be born- in fact it was about 11:58, but Arin thought that midnight sounded more exotic. So she sat in her room, her chin on her knees.

Her dad was still out 'working' as he put it, mum had made it all special with cake and candles and presents and even her little brother Stevie had given her a pet rock. A gift that Arin would have appreciated more had Stevie not been thirteen.

Arin waited, looking at her digital clock- 10:40.

Huh.

She rolled over on her side.

Midnight, aka 11:58, seemed so far away when she was all by herself, her mother had crashed out on the sofa and her brother had a sugar rush from the cake and was playing video games at lightning speed- refusing to move from his room.

Honestly.

Arin lay on the bed, her long dark hair spilling over the pillows, her eyes cat-green in the darkness. She was an attractive girl- perhaps pretty if she tried to be. But she didn't. So she was attractive. 'Beautiful' was pushing it. But she had interesting eyes and a sharp mind- although she was often clumsy and unreliable.

"It's 10:45." She said to no one in particular.

No one in particular answered- but, seeing as he or she was in fact no one in particular, Arin failed to hear whoever no one in particular may be.

Arin closed her eyes and sighed.

xxx

Suddenly, Arin jolted awake at the sound of a thump. She looked at the clock.

11:00pm.

So she hadn't slept for long and hadn't imagined the thump.

She looked over across her room and was surprised to see a figure sitting on the chair beside her computer.

She was also scared.

"H-hello!" She said automatically. Then: "What are you doing in my room?"

The figure looked up and for the first time, Arin saw his face. It was delicate and small with big, round emerald green eyes, white hair fell over his face in a long fringe.

But also, the figure had long, fluffy, white rabbit ears that flopped over his eyes as well- he wore a candy-stripe waistcoat, breeches in a light beige, smart boots, a white undercoat and a bow tie.

The rabbit boy couldn't have been more than eighteen, but he looked at her gravely. "I'm late."

He said gloomily and with that he produced a large pocket watch from his waistcoat. He looked at it again and sighed. "Seriously late."

"I...see." Said Arin.

"Do you?" The boy looked up. "Do you really see?"

"Um...no."

"Because," The boy continued. "The saddening thing is, I carry around this giant oversized pocket watch and I'm always late."

"Maybe you should try being early."

The boy's rabbit ears perked up. "Yes!" He suddenly exclaimed as if the thought had just occurred to him. "Being early! Of course!"

He then beamed at her. "You're smart."

_No,_ Arin struggled not to say. _You're just dumb._

"You're welcome." She said hastily, her thoughts flashing to mum and Stevie. "I really think you should go."

"But I just got here."

"Where there's an entrance- there's an exit." Arin said and made shooing gestures.

The boy sighed. "Sorry, I'm being awfully rude. My name is James Whyte."

"Nice to meet you. Arin Hesston."

"Yes." James got to his feet. "Well better get you out of here then."

Arin blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry. Yes. You would be anxious." James offered her a hand. "I work for Her Majesty the Queen of Hearts of the Deck Kingdom. Please allow me to escort you to the Card Tower."

"Maybe some other time."

"Her Majesty requests your immediate audience."

Arin blinked a few times. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

James nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid. Now come along."

"No. I'll wake up first."

"Ah," James looked sheepish, his rabbit ears twitched. "That's the funny thing actually..."

Arin's eyes narrowed.

"Don't you know that once a girl wishes for love truly and deeply in her soul, her Wonderland will come for her? It doesn't matter how long it takes, we'll get there eventually, actually, in your case: we're two years late."

"Oh." Arin said.

"Like I said," James was gloomy again. "I'm always late."

Then he brightened. "But now it's time for you to be in your own Wonderland and I'm your official transport!"

There was a small silence.

"Go away." Arin eventually said.

"Alright." Agreed James. "Let's hop to it."

"Wait! I meant by yourself-!"

James snatched Arin's wrist and pulled her toward the door.

_How am I going to explain this to mum?_ Arin wondered. _Hi, mum, meet James Whyte, my new rabbit-eared friend- he works for the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland and he's here to take me to the Card Tower. Get him a piece of carrot cake, would ya? _

"Here we go," James whispered. "You'll never find a place like your own Wonderland, Arin! Let me take you there!"

The door flew open and Arin felt her feet leave the ground with a soft brush. She stared at the dimness of the hall which was now a black-as-pitch doorway into a place that she knew she didn't want to be in.

Arin tumbled in and fell away like autumn leaves off a tree.

She waited to hit the ground, seeing only a sea of faces before her. She caught cat ears, a sword, more bunny ears, a gun, mouse ears, a heart sceptre and a top hat. Under the rim of the top hat sat two perfectly shaped ice-blue eyes and a glint of a silver earring and a cruel smile.

"What's happening?" Arin murmured as she was thrown to the floor.


	2. Black Sunrises

Chapter II- Black Sunrises

Arin didn't wake up exactly, more like she jolted upright from a mindless stupor on a cold floor made of marble. When she looked up she saw James Whyte.

"Hello!" He said cheerfully.

"I think I just broke my ribs."

James looked horrified. "I say! What happened?"

"_You_ happened ya big moron!" Snapped Arin.

James looked indignant. "Nonsense! I'd never hurt a lady."

"What about throwing me down that dark abyss?"

James smiled charmingly. "It wasn't an abyss- it was a dimension warp made in your imagination."

Arin glowered.

"I suppose that doesn't help."

James helped Arin to her feet. "Still. Now you're here and you can be in your Wonderland."

"I don't WANT to be in my Wonderland."

"If you can guess the Riddle then you can go."

"What's the Riddle?"

"Haven't the slightest clue," James shrugged, then beamed. "That's why no one can figure it out!"

Arin stared at him in indignant outrage.

"Just kidding!" James said hastily. "Only the Hatter knows the Riddle."

"The Hatter? That's a weird name." Arin rubbed her forearm and sighed. This dream was just way too weird itself- she couldn't wait until she awoke from it.

"Yes. But that is another Hatter altogether," James said, then chuckled.

"Um," Said Arin. "Yeah. So anyway, what happens now?" She peered over his shoulder and saw the faint eggshell blue tints that made up the outlines of strange buildings. She thought that she saw a castle with heart-shaped turrets, a lighthouse and even the spidery shape of a Big Wheel.

"Now you come with me to meet the Queen so you can join the Card Tower."

Arin felt like saying: No! Make me, Thumper.

However, she was standing in what looked like the ruins of an old temple and in a strange dream in which she seemed to have no control over anything.

It was better just to say: "Alright."

James beamed again. You'd think, as he was a rabbit, he'd have buck teeth- but he had perfect little rows that shone in all their TV commercial ad pearly whiteness.

"Let us go then," James looked over his shoulder. "It is getting into lunch so the darkness will set in soon."

"It doesn't get dark at lunch." Argued Arin.

"It's always dark at lunch." Argued James. "You must have your lunch at breakfast, which doesn't make it breakfast at all. It's lunch."

"But I thought it was light at breakfast?"

"It is."

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Oh God," Muttered Arin.

She noticed, that as they walked, James kept glancing over his shoulder, his green-eyed gaze often passing over Arin like the soft fibres of a paintbrush before he quickly gave her one of his cheerful beams.

"Can you please not do that?" Arin said after a while. "It's really making me jumpy."

"Sorry," Said James, resorting to another charming smile. "Your eyes are just so beautiful- I can't concentrate."

The compliment was nice, sure. But Arin had the feeling that her eyes weren't mainly the focus of why he kept glancing over his shoulder.

She then became aware that they were now walking on concrete, or rather, cobblestones, on a fairly normal-looking road if you counted Victorian-influenced roads as 'normal'.

The next thing she noticed was that it was amazingly quiet.

The next thing she noticed was the coldness as metal clicked beside her ear and the barrel of a gun bit into her forehead.

Arin was too scared to even breathe.

"Intruders will be shot." Said a new voice. "We would have had a sign- but this way is a lot more fun, don't you think?"

_I'm going to die._ She thought. _Even though I knew that one day it would happen...it's still a shock._

There was a new click and Arin was startled to see James, his grins and beams gone, his face was one of cold amusement, a slight smile tweaked the corner of his mouth. In his hand he held his own gun to her attacker's head.

"Now," James murmured, his green eyes vibrant. "Let's chat nicely, shall we? I do hate getting blood on my waistcoat."

_These people,_ thought Arin. _These people are all insane._

Her attacker slowly loosened the tightness to which he pressed his gun to Arin's head. "Oh. It's you." He said, annoyance clear on his voice. "The Rabbit."

James's smile bit like a viper. "It's nice to see you're well-informed. Have a gold star."

"Um," Arin said, bringing attention to the gun at her head. The subject was being ignored in a way that she didn't like.

"So- who's the girl?" Asked the attacker. "I didn't think you swung that way."

James looked mockingly sympathetic. "I just didn't want your feelings to be hurt is all."

Arin couldn't help but wonder if they had something personal against each other, but she wasn't left to wonder long as the gun was spun away from her altogether and was aimed in James's direction so both guys were pointing guns at each other.

Arin stepped back and saw her attacker and was surprised. "Another rabbit!" She cried, as the guy had the same ears as James.

Her attacker looked furious and James chuckled.

"I'm a hare." Said her attacker with forced patience.

And, Arin, had to admit that their style of clothes was different. James was all waistcoats, boots and breeches where her attacker wore a bright red trench coat down to his ankles, a belt that passed diagonally over his chest, several gun holsters and Arin could only see the feet of black boots under the trench coat.

Plus, the attacker had hare/rabbit ears, eyes that were a storm-grey framed by ebony lashes; his hair was a brown that was so brown that it almost flickered blood red in the sun. On the whole, he looked like a very beautiful, model-like 19-year-old with bunny ears.

"I'm Arin." Arin told him. This seemed like an appropriate time to tell her potential murderer her name.

"Hello Arin," Said the guy politely.

"Don't talk to my Arin!" Snapped James possessively, as if his toy had just been snatched away.

"I didn't know she was yours." Said the attacker.

"I'm not!" Arin squeaked.

"Huh?" James dropped his gun arm and turned to her, looking mournful, his ears were flat against his cheeks. "Why don't you love me? I love you- and you were with me as I was loving you so isn't common courtesy to-"

"James! Look out!"

There was a smack as James reeled back in the air as the attacker stood above him, smirking.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Said the attacker. "My name is Blood March."

"Blood?" Arin said, taking a step back. Not a particularly nice name to hear when you were alone with the guy in a dark square. "A nickname?"

"My father named me Blood because my mother died of giving birth to me," The smile that appeared on his face was shadowed. "And believe me- there was a lot of blood."

"Help!" Arin screamed into the darkness.

"If you are alone," Said Blood. "Then no one can hear you."

He raised his gun. "Sorry, Arin, but no one trespasses on Tea Party Territory and lives."

Arin began shaking. She could run, but could she outrun a bullet?

"Any last words?" Asked Blood. "And please don't ask to touch my ears or I'll shoot your arms and leave you to bleed to death."

"I love you, mum and Stevie!" Arin cried and covered her ears. She did not want to hear the sound of her death.

But she did hear one thing.

"Don't shoot," Said a voice. "You'll get blood on my cobblestones."

Arin turned slowly to see who had said this, but he was bathed in shadow so she couldn't make out his features clearly apart from an oddly-shaped head...no wait...it was a hat.

Alright, it was a very old-fashioned hat, but still a hat. A top hat and it appeared to have a black ribbon round it, a note was tucked into the ribbon and so were two red roses. And under the brim Arin saw a pair of almond-shaped ice-blue eyes and a wide grin.

Blood reacted as well. "Hatter!" He said, surprised. "You don't want me to shoot?"

"No, by all means- shoot," Said the Hatter. "Just not here. Take her off territory and kill her."

"But the Card Tower will-" Blood said, then his eyes widened. "Oh!"

"Precisely." Said the Hatter.

"You're the Hatter!" Arin exclaimed. "Tell me the Riddle."

Both Blood and the Hatter looked at her.

"The Riddle to get me out of this crazy dream," Arin clarified.

"Oh. That Riddle," Said the Hatter, he contemplated her, then said: "No."

"No?" Arin echoed, her voice amazed and angry.

"No." Repeated the Hatter. "I don't want to. Kill her, Blood."

"Right," Blood said, snatched Arin's arm and began to lead her away.

"Oh," Hatter said. "And, nice job on that rabbit by the way, Blood,"

Blood looked over his shoulder. "Oh, thanks, Boss- he was just an annoyance."

"The Rabbit finally taken out, huh?" Smiled the Hatter. "Allow me to double check." He reached in this jacket pocket and brought out his own gun, not stepping out of the shadows as he did so.

"JAMES!" Arin screamed, she suddenly wrenched her arm away from Blood with all her strength. Taken by surprise, Blood lost his grip and Arin was off like a flash as she almost flew across the cobblestones and landed next to James, she put a hand on his chest protectively.

She felt strange compassion for the guy who had just proclaimed that she loved her (granted it was in a little-sulking-kid way) and she couldn't let him die at the hands of someone like the Hatter.

"So you're defending him," The Hatter didn't lower his gun. "Okay then, I'll just have to shoot you both." He then sighed like they were being a great trial to him. "I do _hate_ having to clean up."

This was the third time that day that Arin had had a gun pointed at her head. It was beginning to get tiresome, from her perspective anyway.

"Not so fast, Hatter,"

And make that the third time she had been saved.

The Hatter and Blood turned towards a space behind Arin angrily, well, Blood looked angry; the Hatter looked irritated, but kept his frosty smile.

Arin looked behind her to see yet another strange person, but this one was dressed up like a knight with a breast plate and slices of metal on his arms and legs, he held a sword in one hand and a card in the other. Yes, a playing card. It was a Queen of Hearts.

Arin also noticed that, in contrast to everyone, this guy was fair-haired and blue-eyed and looked startlingly angelic for someone who was carrying a sword.

"The Jack of the Card Tower," Hatter said dramatically, then ruined it with: "I think."

"Yes," Snapped the Jack of the Card Tower. "I, Jack Cheshire, have been ordered to retrieve Whyte and the Tower's new mascot."

All eyes were on Arin.

"You're the Tower's new mascot?" Blood sounded incredulous.

"Why didn't you just say?" Hatter asked. "We would have shot you earlier."

"Step away from the lady and the rabbit," Said Jack. "Or they'll be trouble."

The Hatter then stepped out of the shadows, but to almost looked as if he was still in them as he revealed coal-black hair and a coal-black, formal dinner suit. He smiled at Jack. "Didn't you know?" He said in a voice that turned the air cold. "I _am_ trouble."

Then he pulled the trigger.

There was a lot of commotion as Arin heard several movements take place, but she was thankful that at the end of the noise, her body was still bullet-free.

Jack Cheshire had been the target, but he had leapt out of the way just in time and now Blood looked ready to get into the fun.

"Should I call the twins?" He asked Hatter.

"No need," Said Hatter. "They're easy prey. Blood- take care of that knight and the rabbit; I want to shoot this girl."

Arin looked at Jack. "We need to move!" She shouted.

"Don't worry," He said. "We have back-up," He handed her a vial with a heart-shaped stopper. "Give this to the Rabbit."

Arin was about to protest to the effect that they were all about to die so did it really matter? When Jack stopped one of Blood's bullets with his sword.

"It's okay," He said. "I'll shield you."

Slightly comforted, Arin turned to James and unscrewed the vial and tipped it up into his mouth. The liquid was red and Arin hoped with all her being that it wasn't blood.

There was a shiver of silence before James's ears twitched and he opened his eyes and saw Arin. "Hello!" He said cheerfully.

"James!" Arin cried happily.

James sat up. "Have to admit- thought I was a goner there."

It was then that said back-up arrived- tons of men who were in the shape and pattern of playing cards rushed like a swarm of ants into the square, completely blocking Hatter and Blood from Arin's view.

There were more gunshots and Arin screamed as a guard dropped dead right beside her, his blood running along the cobblestones like sea water across a beach.

"Hatter!" James barked and his hand went up to cover Arin's eyes. "Whether she is on our side or not- you can't kill with a lady present!"

Hatter sighed and lowered his gun, when Arin pried James's hand away from her eyes she saw him sweep an elegant bow. "My apologies," He said cordially. He grinned: "I should save my bullets for you."

Arin instinctively leaned backwards just as Jack snatched her wrist. "Come on!" He urged. "We need to get you to the Card Tower!"

This time, Arin made no protest. She stumbled to her feet and followed Jack as he sped out of the square. "Wait- James!" She said.

"He'll be okay," Jack called to her. "He probably just wants a show-down with Blood."

"Do those guys have something against each other?"

"Maybe." Shrugged Jack. "They didn't get on as children either, always trying to kill each other with knives and pitchforks."

Jack shook his head at the folly of children whilst Arin gulped.

"So," She said, trying to keep up with his long strides as they went deep into the forest. "They knew each other as children?"

"Of course," Said Jack. "They're cousins after all."

Arin was so shocked that she tripped right into Jack, sending them both flying forward.

"Sorry!" Arin said, getting off him immediately.

"No worries," Said Jack, though he looked very bemused at her sudden clumsiness.

"They're cousins?" She repeated as he helped her to her feet. "And they're trying to kill each other?"

Jack looked at her strangely. "Why are you so surprised?" He asked. "After all, my own aim in life is to kill my own half-brother."

"Oh." Was all Arin said. Then: "Your brother isn't the Hatter is it?"

"No," Smiled Jack. "His name is Chess- he's known as the Cheshire Cat."

"Why?" Asked Arin.

"Because of those stupid cat ears he has and the tail. His mother was a cat demon, my mother was one of the Fae."

Jack shook his head. "Anyway, that's irrelevant- lots of guys in both gangs are related, but the point is: it's not like we are forced to fight each other, we choose too because hate is the emotion that replaces love when it comes to us."

_That's sad._ Thought Arin. _To think that, if I was one of these people, I might be trying to kill Stevie: granted it is tempting sometimes, but he's still my brother no matter what happens._

They heard the thump of feet and James was soon standing before him, blood decorated his clothes like vermillion glitter in huge blotches and spots. "That was entertaining," He said with a jovial smile.

"Did you kill Blood?" Asked Jack.

James made a 'tsk' sound. "No. The bastard got away, him and the Hatter." He then looked as Arin and covered his mouth. "Excuse me. I shouldn't have said such a word in front of a lady."

Arin felt a rush of affection for his gentlemanly, compassionate friendship and smiled. "Don't worry about it- I'm no lady."

"All women are ladies," Proclaimed James.

"Come on," Said Jack. "Let's get you to the Tower. We'll deal with the Hatter and Blood tomorrow- they'll never see it coming."

"Let's use knives!" Said James excitedly, falling into step with them.

Far away, a clock tower chimed out its knowledge into the soft dusk of lunchtime.

12:00. Arin realised.

Happy birthday.


End file.
